God Give Us Homes

Homes where the Bible is honored and taught;

Homes with the Spirit of Christ in their thought;

Homes that a likeness to heaven have caught.

God give us homes!

God give us homes!

Homes with the father in preist-like employ;

Homes that are bright with a far-reaching joy;

Homes where no world-stain shall come to annoy.

God give us homes!

God give us homes!

Homes where the mother is queen-like in love;

Ruled in the fear of the Savior above;

Homes that to youth most inspiring shall prove.

God give us homes!

God give us homes!

Homes with the children to brighten the hours;

Budding and blooming like beautiful flowers;

Places of sunshine-sweet, sanctified bowers.

God give us homes!

By J.R. Clements

Childrearing is Soulwinning . . . Or Not

Posted By Tiffany on October 7, 2010

Modern-day Christian parents can’t figure out why their children are turning away from God in droves and rejecting the faith they were raised with, and it’s not uncommon to hear older couples in churches speak with regret about their children “who aren’t following the Lord.” Bewilderment and confusion surrounds their thinking as they try to grasp how their children could have walked away when they had tried so hard to “raise them right.”

It’s undeniable at this point that Christianity is losing its youth. Although many fall away from faith during high school, the college-aged population is where Christianity is being hit the hardest.

When Christian couples set out to raise a family today, they are well aware of these statistics, but they begin their journey with the best of intentions of raising their one to two children up as godly Christians, hopeful that their children will be an exception. They may even consciously intend on making choices that they believe will help their children remain faithful and moral–taking them to church, restricting what movies they can see, and heavily monitoring and overseeing their interaction with other “worldly” children. Every Sunday morning, they faithfully bring their child to Sunday school, and every Wednesday night, their child is in attendance at Awanas or the other church children’s program. For years, they are involved in every possible church activity, but as the child grows older, the parents wonder why their child isn’t making the faith his own or doing things of his own initiative. By the end of high school or college, the parent is tired of the battles. They don’t want to fight and drag their children to the youth group; they are tired of arguing about modest clothing choices, CDs, movies, boyfriends, and everything else. They look around at the other children in the church and shrug their shoulders. It’s just hard to raise kids in this culture, and they did their best. Apparently, they were just given a child that would not be a Christian. They are saddened and downcast, thinking that they were helpless victims and couldn’t have done anything better.



So said the older mother across from me, a year ago, as we sat in the church nursery rocking babies. She told me her story: how her son had walked away from the Lord, was living with his girlfriend, and was about to have a baby. She talked about how she had always brought him to church and youth group, but she ended with a shrug of her shoulders, saying, “But we tried to raise him right, he just wouldn’t listen. I don’t know what else we could have done.”



I continued to rock the baby asleep in my arms, as she went on, “But your parents, they’re so lucky to have children like you two. Such good examples, ministering and going to a Bible college. Your parents must be so happy!”



I smiled and replied something along the lines of, “Yes, my parents did an excellent job of raising us. The tireless effort my mom put into homeschooling us has really shaped us into who we are today.”



The mother’s tone changed slightly and she replied, “I don’t know how she did it! I would have killed my two kids, I tell you that! Your mother was so lucky to have such good, patient, and quiet kids.”



She continued, “You don’t intend on doing that with your children, do you?”



“Absolutely.” I replied. “It is one of the things I look forward to the most!”



At this, shock and slight repulsion started to show on her face, and she went on to try to convince me why I should work and put my children into public school. Although I tried to present my reasoning, she was incapable of understanding where I was coming from, and she ended our conversation by saying, “Well, you’re young. You might change your mind once you have kids and have to put up with it every day!”



When I walked away from the nursery that day, my mind was just completely boggled by this interaction. Though this woman had admired the results of the training we had received at home from our parents, she failed to see the role that it played in shaping children into mature and God-loving individuals. You see, she may have thought my parents were “lucky,” as in “You must have hit the lottery jackpot and gotten two great kids!” but the truth of the matter was that my parents had put in tireless effort into shaping us into who we were. They were not “lucky,” they were obedient to God’s call to train up your child in the way they should go.



My parents did not simply take us to church and hope that Sunday school and sermons would bring us to the Father. They read us the Word, had nightly devotions, prayed and conversed with us about all of life from a Biblical viewpoint. They also led by example, and showed us what it meant to minister, love, forgive, and put God before all else.



Christian parents who trust in church ministry programs will be disappointed. There is only so much that a church can do for a child, and in the end, it was never the church who had responsibility for the child in the first place. God’s Word calls parents to train up their children, and God gives the responsibility for shaping the child’s worldview squarely into a parent’s hands.



“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” ~Deuteronomy 6:6-9



Notice that this verse speaks of the home having an atmosphere of godly instruction. It is all good and well to have Scripture training at church, but if the home is not the foundation of the child’s Scripture learning, results are doubtful, and the parent is not fulfilling his God-given responsibility.

In a culture where getting a “Christian” child out of the child-rearing experience appears to be “hit or miss,” it is understandable why people react even more harshly to me when I say anything about wanting a big family. To them, this is merely my way of trying to be more spiritual or a “supermom,” while increasing the chance that I will bring up children who walk away from the Lord.



But, let me tell you, I am not setting my mind on this because I think there is anything about having babies that is holy or righteous in and of itself, or because I hope to one day be viewed as “supermom.” Having children for the wrong reasons can be done with any family size in mind. Even Christian parents who have two kids because it’s “the next life step” can be wrongly going about the idea of child-rearing.



Any parent who brings a child into this world ought to do so with fear and trembling and prayer and supplication before the Lord, because a new soul–one that will live eternally–has irrevocably been created, and that soul will end up one of two places. If Christian parents truly believe what they claim to about eternity and Heaven and Hell, than I urge them to think more carefully about what choices they will make in raising their children.



It may not mean homeschooling–though I think public schooling your child will only increase those exhausting battles, and is comparable to swimming upstream–but it most certainly will mean providing a foundation of truth and Gospel learning at home, and not merely Sunday school or church camps.



May God help us to bring up godly children who will glorify Him with their lives, whether we are parents now or will be in the future!

This article orignally appeared on Tiffany’s blog, True Femininity

Children Keeping You Out of the Ministry?

Are you a mother who often feels like you're not serving God unless you are always busy serving in the church? Do you ever wish that you were involved in "true" ministry?  Do you feel guilty for not "doing enough" for God? This was me and is still me at times. I love Jesus and want more than anything to serve Him in everything I do.  I am so thankful I found the blog post below to help remind me of the fact that raising my children IS ministry.


If this sounds like you or someone you know, head over to Walking with Sarah and read Rhonda Devine's post titled, "Children Keeping You Out of the Ministry?" I pray that it will bless you as it did me.

Women are called to manage their homes (1 Tim. 5:14) ; this pleases God and keeps the adversary from speaking reproachfully. Women who make homes keep God’s word from being blasphemed (Titus 2:4). The way I understand this is that a home that is well managed is a positive glory; a home in shambles is a poor testimony. But this is not to lay a guilt trip on women; rather, it should inspire us to view our seemingly mundane tasks as a truly worthy calling that God uses to transform the world. We often think of homekeeping as drudgery. But God says it silences our enemies. That is something potent. God always does things backwards from what we think. This requires wisdom.

Nancy Wilson of Femina

Your good works ought to first be done at home--ministering to the needs of your family. Then if God gives you time, opportunity, available resources or in a different season of life--to take those gifts and those abilities and expand them, as we'll see the Proverbs 31 woman does, outside of your own home.

Nancy DeMoss

We have experienced substantial joys in professional ministry, but nothing is quite so fulfilling as the personal joy of seeing family friends come to faith… The family is at the very heart of authentic ministry and evangelism. As ministry professionals, we hold the firm conviction that family is ministry and that the most effective spread of the gospel occurs through family. We are also convinced that we were never more effective in evangelism than when we had children at home.

Kent and Barbara Hughes
Disciplines of a Godly Family, Crossway, 2004, p. 86- 87

Biblical Motherhood

Christian motherhood means dedicating your entire life in service of others. It means standing beside your husband, following him, and investing in the lives of children whom you hope will both survive you and surpass you. It means forgoing present satisfaction for eternal rewards. It means investing in the lives of others who may never fully appreciate your sacrifice or comprehend the depth of your love. And it means doing all these things, not because you will receive the praise of man — for you will not — but because God made you to be a woman and a mother, and there is great contentment in that biblical calling.

In 1950, the great Scottish American preacher Peter Marshall stood before the United States Senate and he explained it this way:

The modern challenge to motherhood is the eternal challenge — that of being a godly woman. The very phrase sounds strange in our ears. We never hear it now. We hear about every other kind of women — beautiful women, smart women, sophisticated women, career woman, talented women, divorced women, but so seldom do we hear of a godly woman — or of a godly man either, for that matter.
I believe women come nearer fulfilling their God-given function in the home than anywhere else. It is a much nobler thing to be a good wife than to be Miss America. It is a greater achievement to establish a Christian home than it is to produce a second-rate novel filled with filth. It is a far, far better thing in the realm of morals to be old-fashioned than to be ultramodern. The world has enough women who know how to hold their cocktails, who have lost all their illusions and their faith. The world has enough women who know how to be smart. It needs women who are willing to be simple. The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant. It needs some who will be brave. The world has enough women who are popular. It needs more who are pure. We need women, and men, too, who would rather be morally right that socially correct.

These quotes were found in a wonderful article called The Rise and Fall of Motherhood in America.

Characteristics of a Meek and Quiet Spirit

Zephaniah 2:3
Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.

Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

1 Timothy 6:11
But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

We are to seek meekness, put on meekness, and pursue meekness.  This is a wonderful article below that lists some of the characteristics of a meek and quiet spirit.  I fall so short of having this type of a spirit and realize that I can't develop these characteristics on my own.  Only through abiding in Christ and His grace can I ever manifest any of these characteristics mentioned below.  Meekness isn't a word we use very often in our society.  Society teaches that we are to be bold, loud, outspoken, opinionated,and to stand up for our "rights" as women.  Being submissive, having a meek and quiet spirit is looked down upon by society, but is highly valued by God. 




The meek will be at rest in the storms of life …

(Matthew 11:28–30; Psalm 37:7; Hebrews 4:1–11)

The fretful will be fearful in the storms of life …

(Mark 4:35–41; Jeremiah 50:6)



The meek will react to circumstances with peaceful trust …

(Isaiah 26:3–4)

The fretful will attempt to manipulate individuals or circumstances …

(James 4:1–3; Proverbs 7:21)



The meek will make life choices based on Scriptural principles …

(Psalm 119:105)

The fretful will make life choices based on emotions or fleeting passions of the moment …

(James 3:13–18; Proverbs 19:16)



The meek woman’s confidence is in the security of the truths of Scripture and the faithfulness of God …

(Proverbs 3:26, 14:26; Psalm 119:165; Jeremiah 17:7–8)

The fretful woman’s trust is in her own abilities and power to control others and details …

(Proverbs 12:15, 14:12, 16:25; Jeremiah 18:12)







“Meekness is the silent submission of the soul to the 'providence' of God concerning us.”

—Matthew Henry



The meek woman finds her worth and value in knowing who she is in Christ …

(Ephesians 1:3–8)

The fretful woman finds her worth and value in her own accomplishments and what others think of her …

(Psalm 49:11–20; Proverbs 11:28, 16:18–19, 29:25)




The meek woman finds her strength of character in Christ …

(Ephesians 5:8–11)

The fretful woman finds her strength of character in her own personality traits …

(Proverbs 28:26)


Meekness restrains the stormy tempest of our emotions and passions by commanding them“peace be still” …

(Proverbs 16:32)

Fretting fuels the stormy tempest by venting passions and emotions …

(Psalm 37:8; Proverbs 14:29–30, 29:11, 22)



Meekness is the strength and courage to battle and overcome our own sinful anger and passions, by holding fast to peace—through trusting in the providence of Almighty God …

(Romans 12:18–19; Colossians 3:1–17; 1 Peter 4:19)

The fretful woman is too fearful and weak to trust God,but allows her sinful emotions and passions to rule …

(Proverbs 28:25)


“The work and office of meekness is to enable us to govern our own anger when at anytime we are provoked, and patiently bear out the anger of others that it may not be a provocation to us.”

—Matthew Henry



Meekness is constancy and steady composure in spirit and frame of mind, reflecting the consistent stability of our Lord, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

(Psalm 102:25–27; Ephesians 4:13–15; 1 Peter 3:13–16; Hebrews 13:8)

The fretful woman is always on a roller-coaster ride of emotions, continually up and down …the only thing consistent about her is that you never know what mood to expect.

(Proverbs 21:9, 19, 25:24)



Meekness does not allow the mind to run away with vain imaginations and to dwell on thoughts which inflame volatile emotions and passions …

(2 Corinthians 10:3–5; Philippians 4:8–9)

The rash woman is filled with suspicions, doubts, and assumptions based entirely on emotion, and allows these imaginations to determine the course of action …
(3 John 9–10)



The meek woman does not avoid or run from controversy, but walks through necessary confrontations under the control of the Holy Spirit …

(Galatians 6:1–2; Proverbs 27:5)

The rash woman enters controversy hastily and recklessly …

(Proverbs 10:19, 13:3, 14:16–17, 29:20)




The meek woman is at peace because she is master over her passions …

(Proverbs 17:27, 25:28, 29:11)

The rash woman is fretful because she is mastered by her passions …

(Psalm 37:1–8; Romans 6:16; James 1:14–17)




“It is better by silence to yield to our brother, who is, or has been, or may be, our friend, than by angry speaking to yield to the devil, who has been, and is, and ever will be , our sworn enemy.”

—Matthew Henry




The meek woman speaks truth in love, the law of kindness is on her lips …

(Proverbs 31:26, 16:24; Ephesians 4:1–2, 29)

The rash woman speaks harshly, and is not truly concerned for the listener’s feelings …

(Proverbs 12:18, 16:27; James 3:6–12)




The meek woman patiently waits to hear the whole matter before reacting …

(Proverbs 15:28)

The rash woman reacts emotionally before giving time to pause and consider …

(Proverbs 15:18, 18:13)



The meek woman is not unemotional, but her emotions are ruled by the Spirit of God …

(Proverbs 14:30, 31:25; Galatians 5:22–26; Philippians 4:4–7)

The fretful woman is ruled by circumstances, emotions, and passions …

(Proverbs 29:22; Psalm 37:1–8)


“To study the art of quietness is to take pains with ourselves, to work upon our own hearts the principles, rules, and laws of meekness; and to furnish ourselves with such considerations as tend to the quieting of the spirit in the midst of the greatest provocations.”

—Matthew Henry


The meek woman does not entertain suspicions or assume the worst concerning others—but reacts based on first-hand knowledge …

(Proverbs 18:13, 17)

The rash woman imagines and assumes the worst, then she reacts accordingly …

(1 Timothy 4:7, 5:13)


The meek woman is not easily offended …

(Proverbs 19:11; Romans 14:19, 1 Corinthians 13:4–7)

The fretful woman is easily offended …

(Romans 12:3, 16)


The meek woman forgives quickly …

(Matthew 5:23–25; Ephesians 4:26–27, 31–32)

The fretful woman holds onto offenses and hurts, becoming bitter …

(Hebrews 12:14–15)


Meekness demonstrates gracious restraint. It responds to accusations or criticism with restraint rooted in humility, by recognizing that without God’s grace, I am capable of far worse than what I am being accused.

(1 Peter 3:8–9)



Rashness seeks vengeance. It responds to accusations or criticism with the wrath of a haughty heart.

(Romans 12:14–19)




“If God should be as angry with me for every provocation as I am with those about me, what would become of me?”

—Matthew Henry


The meek woman is still and knows that He is God; therefore she trusts in Him and is at peace …

(Psalm 46:10; Proverbs 18:10, 30:5)

The fretful woman runs through life at a frantic pace, not stopping long enough to sit still and listen to the Master’s voice …

(Luke 10:38–42)

“It is 'in the sight of God of great price.' It is really a precious grace, for it is so in the sight of God … Herein we should every one labor and this we should be ambitious of, as of the greatest honor … it is a thing attainable through the Mediator from whom we have received instruction how to walk so as to please him. We must walk with meekness and quietness of spirit, for this is 'in the sight of God of great price.' Therefore this mark of honor is, in a special measure, put upon the grace of meekness, because it is commonly despised and looked upon with contempt by the children of the world … meekness and quietness of spirit is a very excellent grace which we should every one of us put on and be adorned with.”

— Matthew Henry



© Revive Our Hearts. Written by Kimberly Wagner. Used with permission. www.ReviveOurHearts.com Info@ReviveOurHearts.com

Meekness is not to be confused with weakness: the meek are not simply submissive because they lack the resources to be anything else. Meekness is quite compatible with great strength and ability as humans measure strength, but whatever strength or weakness the meek person has is accompanied by humility and a genuine dependence on God. True meekness may be a quality of the strong, those who could assert themselves but choose not to do so.

Leon Morris
Matthew, Eerdmans, 1992, p. 98.

Article shared on the Raising Homemakers Link Up.

What Makes a House a Home?

This September it will be exactly 3 years since we moved into our house.
I was just telling my husband that our house is finally feeling more and more like "home". It has taken almost 3 years to feel that way though. Over the years I have learned what does and does not make a house a home. I've learned that:

The size of a house doesn't make a home.
Having a spotless house doesn't make a home.
Having a "new" house (we built our own) does not make a home.


"Home" happens when memories are made:
Playing board games around the kitchen table, sharing meals and holidays, bringing home a new baby, learning how to ride a bike, planting a family garden, backyard picnics, counting stars on the back deck, making smores by the fire, baking apple pie, canning summer's bounty...

"Home" happens when first steps are taken, first words are spoken, laughter fills the air, fingerprints decorate the wall, and love fills the hearts.

But most importantly "home" happens when the Lord is the builder. Build defined is: Webster: 1. … to form by uniting materials into a regular structure… 2. To raise or place on a foundation… 3. To increase and strengthen; to increase the power and stability of; to settle, or establish, and preserve.
It is the LORD only that strengthens a home and gives it stability and the ability to last. Is the Lord the builder of your home?

What makes your house a home?

Psalm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house,its builders labor in vain.


Proverbs 24:3-4
By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.


Proverbs 14:1
A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.

Titus 2:3-5
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed"

The Lordship Of Christ In Our Homes

May God’s peace be upon this house
That God has blessed you with
A home that reflects His awesome love
And the grace He freely gives

May it be a home with open doors
That welcomes strangers in
And makes them feel loved and accepted
Knowing that God dwells within

Our homes should be more than a house
Where we live day by day
It should be a place where God can reign
And precious memories are made

For as we establish in our homes
The Lordship of Jesus Christ
We invite His presence to come and dwell
And fill each room inside

So as we continue to lift up the Lord
In every part of our lives
It’s then our homes will reflect the faith
And hope we have in Christ

By: M.S.Lowndes

Beautiful Motherhood

Mothers, don’t let anyone ever dupe you into thinking there’s anything ignoble or disgraceful about remaining at home and raising your family. Don’t buy the lie that you’re repressed if you’re a worker in the home instead of in the world’s workplace. Devoting yourself fully to your role as wife and mother is not repression; it is true liberation. Multitudes of women have bought the world’s lie, put on a suit, picked up a briefcase, dropped their children off for someone else to raise, and gone into the workplace, only to realize after fifteen years that they and their children have a hollow void in their hearts. Many such career women now say they wish they had devoted themselves to motherhood and the home instead.
John MacArthur
Successful Christian Parenting, 1998, p. 195


One of the things the feminist movement has done so successfully is to stir up discontent in women with being homemakers and to convince them that other pursuits can increase their sense of self-worth… Fueling discontent and pushing women out of their homes in search of greater meaning and satisfaction has resulted in off-the-chart stress levels for many women who can no longer survive without pills and therapists… The greatest spiritual, moral, and emotional protection a woman will ever experience is found when she is content to stay within her God-appointed sphere. This does not mean that she never leaves her house, but rather that her heart is rooted in her home and that she puts her family’s needs above all other interests and pursuits.
Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Women are called to manage their homes (1 Tim. 5:14) ; this pleases God and keeps the adversary from speaking reproachfully. Women who make homes keep God’s word from being blasphemed (Titus 2:4). The way I understand this is that a home that is well managed is a positive glory; a home in shambles is a poor testimony. But this is not to lay a guilt trip on women; rather, it should inspire us to view our seemingly mundane tasks as a truly worthy calling that God uses to transform the world. We often think of homekeeping as drudgery. But God says it silences our enemies. That is something potent. God always does things backwards from what we think. This requires wisdom.
Nancy Wilson of Femina


Your good works ought to first be done at home--ministering to the needs of your family. Then if God gives you time, opportunity, available resources or in a different season of life--to take those gifts and those abilities and expand them, as we'll see the Proverbs 31 woman does, outside of your own home.
Nancy DeMoss

Family J.R. Miller Pg.65-66
But it should be understood that for every wife the first duty is the making and keeping of her own home. Her first and best work should be done there, and till it is well done she has no right to go outside to take up other duties. She is to be a “worker at home.” She must look upon her home as the one spot on earth for which she alone is responsible, and which she must cultivate well for God if she never does anything outside. For her Father’s business is not attending Dorcas societies and missionary meetings, and mother’s meetings, and temperance conventions, or even teaching a Sunday-school class, until she has made her own home all the her wisest thought and best skill can make it. There have been wives who in their zeal for Christ’s work outside have neglected Christ’s work inside their own doors. They have had eyes and hearts for human need and human sorrow in the broad fields lying far out, but neither eye nor heart for the work of love lain about their own feet. The result has been that while they were doing angelic work in the lanes and streets, the angels were mourning over their neglected duties within the hallowed walls of their own homes. While they were winning a place in the hearts of the poor or the sick or the orphan, they were losing their rightful place in the hearts of their own household. Let it be remembered that Christ’s work in the home is the first that he gives every wife, and that no amount of consecrated activities in other spheres will atone in this world or the next for neglect or failure there.



Pg. 180
There is nothing in the daily routine of the family life that is unimportant. Indeed, it is ofttimes the things we think of as without influence that will be found to have made the deepest impression on the tender lives of the household.

Pg.188
When we think of the importance of evenings at home it certainly seems worthwhile to plan to save as many as possible of them from outside demands for the sacred work within. It were better that we should neglect some social attraction, or miss some political meeting, or be absent from some lodge or society, than that we should neglect the culture of our own homes and let our children slip away from us forever.

Pg.219
To make a home godless and prayerless is to send our children out to meet all the worlds evil without either the shelter of covenant love to cover them in the storm or the strength of holy principle in their hearts to make them able to endure.

Pg.223
It is impossible to estimate full influence of the reading of the word in a home day after day and year after year. It filters into the hearts of the young. It is absorbed into their souls. It colors all their thoughts. It is wrought into the very fibre of their minds. It imbues them with its own spirit. It’s holy teachings become the principles of their lives, which rule their conduct and shape all their actions.



Pg.262
No other work that God gives any of us to do is so important, so sacred, so far-reaching in it’s influence, so delicate and easily marred as our home-making. This is the work of all our life that is most divine. The carpenter works in wood, the mason works in stone, the smith works in iron, the artist works on canvas, but the home-maker works on immortal souls. The wood or the stone or the iron or the canvas may be marred, and it will not matter greatly in fifty years; but let a tender human soul be marred in its early training, and ages hence the effects will still be seen. Whatever else we slight, let it never be our home-making. If we do nothing else well in this world, let us at least build well within our own doors.